2 chairs for UPA 2

No doubt there is a significant difference in the size of the chair required by His Excellency Pranabda, Mr Antony, and that for the Maratha strongman Mr Sharad Pawar. The discrepancy may not just be in physical dimensions, there may be a subtle political indication based on what is generally termed as one’s standing and ability to throw one’s weight around. For that matter, his own strong clout apart, Mr Pawar has been an old congressman, having left the Congress for reasons well spelt out at a particular time, but the issue never came up again. His NCP is perhaps the most consistent supporter of the UPA coalition. Astute, experienced, supremely diplomatic, and ambitious as he is, such a man is likely to be stalled at crucial step, particularly in a world of power and politics.

Politicians score on various skills. Some win hearts by being polite, defensive and conceding at the cost of survival. Other win on manipulating vote bank politics, and promising more than can be delivered. These also know at first hand how to throw the blame on the rival for his continued indifference. Some play the game more comprehensively using divisive tactics, voter incentives, and keep smoldering fires well fanned.

Mr Pawar willingly joined the UPA, though one cannot deny that he still continues to interact at a personal level with the Shiv Sena, BJP, and other regional parties. Years of experience has taught him to adopt just the stance where a slight tilt can allow him to join the rightists, leftists, the backwards, the regional forces, and the now the extremely influential India Inc. lobby. The man speaks less, chooses his words, and people generally get fearfully jittery when he reserves his comments when it is expected that he shall retort for an insulting denial.

As the word goes, the great Yashwant Rao Chavan, Nehru’s perpetual confidant considered Mr Pawar his “Manas Putra”, seeing his political potential. Much changes over time in a man, for better or worse if I may say so. As chief minister of Maharashtra, he finally bagged the seat from an equally capable Mr A R Antulay, who had to step down after the “Indira Gandhi Pratisthan”, a sort of a historical preamble and comparison to the present “Adarsh”, the only difference perhaps being that there was no such grand “Mantralay” to catch fire in due course, if certain rumors are still around.

As agricultural minister in the UPA 2, though a man like Mr Pawar must have added adequate inputs, with his experience and knowledge of the capitalist as well as the farmer, his working style was not expected to change to the codes and principles on which UPA 2 operates, some of which might have been foreseen as the reasons why he left the party. That of course is not to blame anyone, just a style of functioning and internal equations.

What comes to the fore is that food commodity items, including staple vegetables as onions and potatoes have seen an unprecedented inflation. The inability of the government to absorb and compensate the farmer during times of bumper crops remains a big question mark. It is not yet clear why a seasoned agricultural minister and a world class economist from an agricultural country did not act even in the line of sheer common sense. In response to a Supreme Court order that rotting food grains be distributed to the poor, the court was taken in confidence that such would cause a fall in the market prices and traders and wholesalers would suffer. I believe constitutionally the government is under obligation to protect every citizen’s interest, more so for the deprived segments. This was the time to revamp the rotting Public Distribution System. Put a regulatory body in place and enough checks and measures in place, in order to put this national lifeline of the poor in place. The PDS system was neither restored nor replaced by a more viable body. A free market economy idea is for a different turf. It does not waive away the basic responsibility that we would not have achieved much as long exercises to protect market forces are done at the cost of starving human lives.

I do not know whether such governmental policies arose out of a single department’s projection, or was it a sum total of the intransigence within the components of the coalition. No public explanation was offered, and there was less the press or publicity agencies did on this. The impending drought situation today shows that nothing beyond software, scams, and surreptitious deals was the main pre-occupation of those entrusted with primary responsibility of caring for every citizen usurped the minds of recent governments.

Without siding with anyone the chair incidence, was rather petty at the highest level of politics in the nation. No-one becomes an unchallenged hero or a successor by which side or how many spaces he sits beside the PM. Perhaps what matters is who stands behind. But may be this is an excuse for non performance.

Politics in this country has changed. The farmer is aware of what he invests, what he gets, and what is the price his product sells finally. The student is aware of the financial burden of just getting a certification, forget true education. The ageing government servant is aware of the petty pension against the rising inflation and the huge medical bills.

I do not know if alternative governments perceived or predicted would be any better. People who have reached the pinnacle of power and position need to deal with each other more maturely. The country cannot wait for them to sign their personal treaties, and even if that be so, it should not hamper systems and programs running, and more on the anvil.

The chair incidence may be used to highlight that executive performance is much beyond a government’s pecking order. Have two chairs if that solves the problem, but stick to the common purpose of development.

Much has been deprived to the common on the basis of “compulsions of a co-alition” ——or is it the lack of maturity to work together as one people for a vast nation. The talent is there, the co-ordiantion misses out.

Finally, putting the blame on time and circumstances, do we have, or did we ever have an agricultural policy? Let future aspirants spell it out succinctly. It shall be a winner!

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

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Author

Anoop Kohli is a senior consultant neurologist at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi. His interests go far beyond his chosen profession. For him, it's just one game of life so interesting to study for all its themes and aberrations. He also dabbles in script-writing and recently got a membership of the Bombay Film Writers' Association. In this blog, Masquerader, expect from him anything from H1N1 to Heena.